Chapter 85 (Patreon)

Yujiro slowly took two steps forward.

With each step, the hearts of the elders inside the office seemed to jolt violently.

And now, after three elders had already died, the remaining ones finally understood that keeping their mouths shut was the only way to survive.

None of them even dared to raise their heads to look at Yujiro. They were afraid that a single glance might provoke this killing god.

Their lives were hanging by a thread.

At the brink of life and death, every one of them treasured their own life more than anything.

“The reason I came to your Kirigakure this time is actually very simple,” Yujiro said in an unhurried voice.

“First, hand over the secret communication records between Kirigakure and Kumogakure.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. I know you have them.”

“And don’t try anything clever. Otherwise, I won’t mind forcing you to release the Three-Tails.”

Yujiro’s gaze fell on Yagura. At that moment, Yagura’s expression was extremely grim.

“Don’t look so bitter. You should be thanking me for freeing you from that control.”

Hearing those words, Yagura’s face sank with exhaustion and defeat. Then he said to the elder beside him, “Go and bring all the communication records between Kirigakure and Kumogakure from this past year.”

Faced with the Mizukage’s order, the elder of Kirigakure did not dare to delay. He could only head to the underground secret room beneath the Mizukage Building and retrieve every document related to Kumogakure from the past year.

Yujiro nodded toward Shisui. Shisui immediately stepped forward, quickly checked through the documents, and stored them all inside his ninja pouch.

“Next, I want Kirigakure to provide Konoha with thirty percent of the Land of Water’s annual funds and materials.”

At present, Konoha had already entered a phase of large-scale construction, so both money and supplies were essential.

“What?! That’s impossible!” one elder blurted out without thinking.

Yujiro raised his hand.

In the next instant, that elder turned into a pool of blood.

“It isn’t that I refuse to agree!” Yagura said through gritted teeth. “But the one who controls the Land of Water’s finances is not Kirigakure!”

“Then go and kill the Daimyō,” Yujiro said casually. “Don’t make excuses in front of me.”

“Next, I’ll be taking Terumi Mei back to Konoha. If the payment is not delivered within the year, then I’ll kill her.”

“You should understand what Terumi Mei means to Kirigakure, don’t you?”

“Terumi Mei has two kekkei genkai, Boil Release and Lava Release. Her talent is exceptional.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, after a few more years of training, she may even be capable of taking over the position of Mizukage.”

“Am I wrong?”

Yujiro’s words truly frightened everyone present.

Terumi Mei’s secret, and even the thoughts hidden within their own minds, had been exposed by Yujiro so easily.

And from his calm expression, it was obvious that he had known all of this from the very beginning.

“I… agree.” Yagura clenched both fists tightly. He had no choice but to swallow this loss.

Because Terumi Mei truly was Kirigakure’s last remaining hope.

If Yujiro really killed Terumi Mei, then Kirigakure, and even the entire Land of Water, would be pushed toward collapse.

At that time, even if Konoha did not launch an attack, the nearest major village, Kumogakure, would be the first to strike.

An alliance only existed when the strength of both sides remained relatively balanced.

If an allied nation discovered something abnormal within another great nation and its ninja village, then the Land of Water might truly become the first of the Five Great Nations to be destroyed.

Yagura could not bear that kind of consequence.

So, for now, he could only choose to accept Yujiro’s demand.

A year would give them room to breathe.

As long as the village was not wiped out, there would still be hope.

“Next, bring Ao here.”

Yujiro spoke lightly.

“Ao?” Yagura frowned slightly. He had some impression of Ao. He was one of Kirigakure’s many jōnin.

But Yagura could not help feeling puzzled. Why would a jōnin like Ao attract Yujiro’s attention?

“Elder, go and find Jōnin Ao,” Yagura said. With no other choice, he could only carry out Yujiro’s order without resistance.

Not long after, a jōnin wearing dark-blue clothing arrived at the office.

The moment he saw the strange and oppressive scene inside, his heart sank.

“Mizukage-sama, you called for me?” Ao did not even dare to breathe too loudly. He came to Yagura’s side and spoke in a low voice.

Yujiro looked at Ao. His right eye was covered by an eyepatch. After sensing it carefully, Yujiro confirmed that the chakra inside it was indeed the aura of the Byakugan.

At that moment, Yagura looked at Yujiro in confusion and asked, “Yujiro, the person has been brought here. May I ask…”

Yujiro said calmly, “It’s nothing serious. I’m simply taking back something that belongs to Konoha.”

“Taking back something that belongs to Konoha from Ao…” Yagura froze for a moment, then carefully thought over those words.

At that same moment, Ao’s expression suddenly changed.

Cold sweat soaked the upper part of his back.

Something on him that belonged to Konoha… could only be the Byakugan transplanted into his right eye.

Yagura also realized it at that moment, and once he did, his face turned ugly.

The Byakugan transplanted into Ao was proof of Kirigakure’s victory in war.

Moreover, during a great ninja war, the Byakugan could sometimes become the deciding factor in critical situations.

“Yagura, do it yourself,” Yujiro said indifferently.

The Byakugan originally belonged to Konoha. Now that Konoha was under Yujiro’s control, any Byakugan that had fallen into enemy hands naturally had to be taken back.

When Yagura heard this, his body trembled slightly, and a painful struggle flashed across his face.

However, under Yujiro’s pressure, he truly did not dare to refuse.

If he refused, the final result would be Yujiro forcing the Three-Tails inside him to break loose.

And when that time came, even more people in Kirigakure would die.

Therefore, Yagura had no other choice.

The only option was to obey Yujiro’s order.

“Ao… Kirigakure has wronged you,” Yagura said with a pained expression.

Ao, who stood in front of him, trembled all over and gritted his teeth tightly.

Yagura stretched out his right hand. Then, with a cruel motion, he removed Ao’s right eye.

“Ah!” Ao finally cried out in pain. After that, he gasped heavily, hissing through his teeth, and silently stepped aside.

Yujiro watched everything indifferently.

He believed that if their positions were reversed, the other side would have done something even more ruthless.

Showing kindness to the enemy was the same as being cruel to oneself. That saying never went out of style.

“Shisui, how do you feel seeing this scene? Doesn’t it seem familiar?” Yujiro tilted his head, looked at Shisui, and grinned.

“Um…” Shisui scratched his head. “To be honest, I don’t feel much…”

Yujiro shrugged, causing Terumi Mei, who was slung over his shoulder, to shift slightly.

“Slap!”

Yujiro raised his hand and struck Terumi Mei without hesitation as a warning.

“Stay still.”

Tears welled up in Terumi Mei’s eyes from the pain, but she truly did not dare to move.

She had finally understood that Yujiro was a completely merciless devil.

If she continued struggling, she might really die here.

It did not matter if she died here alone, but behind her stood all of Kirigakure.

Yujiro suddenly noticed that Terumi Mei had gone quiet on his shoulder, and he nodded slightly.

After all, there would still be many occasions where he could make use of Terumi Mei later.

“Shisui, take the Byakugan back,” Yujiro said to Shisui in front of him.

“Yes!” Shisui immediately accepted the order. He walked up to Yagura and took the Byakugan from his hand.

Then he placed the Byakugan into a container and sealed it.

“Next, once my final request is fulfilled, I’ll leave Kirigakure.” A calm smile appeared on Yujiro’s face.

“What is the request?” When Yagura saw the smile on Yujiro’s face, a chill ran down his spine.

“One, two, three…” Yujiro raised his left hand, pointed at the dozen or so remaining elders in the room, and said with a smile, “Yagura, managing so many elders must be troublesome.”

“If only one or two remained, wouldn’t they be much easier to manage?”

“What do you mean?” Yagura’s face turned deathly pale when he heard those words.

He was making them kill each other.

Not only Yagura, even the previously obedient Terumi Mei trembled violently.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she began to struggle.

Yujiro tilted his head and looked at Terumi Mei, who was very close to him. He had to admit, she truly was beautiful.

“Be quiet,” Yujiro said calmly after glancing at her. “If these elders don’t make a move within five minutes, I’ll naturally leave.”

Terumi Mei felt slightly relieved after hearing that.

She believed in the elders of Kirigakure.

After seeing Terumi Mei calm down, Yujiro turned back around and immediately said, “In that case, let’s set a rule.”

“As long as one elder kills another elder, I won’t pursue this matter any further.”

The moment those words fell, the faces of the dozen remaining elders of Kirigakure grew heavy.

At the same time, the atmosphere inside the Mizukage’s office gradually became strange.

“I’ll only give you five minutes,” Yujiro said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Yagura and the others had already begun to tremble.

At that moment, no one dared to make a sound, afraid that they would be killed by the person beside them.

Time passed slowly.

“One minute has passed.”

Yujiro’s Shinigami-like voice drifted softly through the office.

Several elders had already begun to lose their composure.

“Three minutes have passed.”

Time continued to slip away, minute by minute.

Just before five minutes arrived, an elder who had been curled up in the corner suddenly erupted into motion.

With a kunai in his hand, he fiercely stabbed the elder beside him through the heart.